group and gaining promotion back to the Kakkonen. Season to season Other sports PEPO selected football as the main sporting activity soon after the establishment of the club. However, the club played ice hockey for 39 years until 1999 when the ice hockey section was relocated to PEPO Hockey. Facilities The club's training centre is located in Sammonlahti, a western district of Lappeenranta. The training centre provides grass and artificial turf pitches. Since 2009 the men's team has played their home games at the Kimpinen Sports Centre in the Kimpinen district. A heated artificial turf pitch next to the South Karelia Vocational School in the Lepola district and the Sammonlahti Sports Hall are used during winter. Until the 2000s PEPO's home ground was in Tapavainola. Youth activities PEPO has a strong youth section. This position was further strengthened by the merger with Rakuunat Juniorit at the beginning of 2009, which has created one of the biggest soccer teams in the area administered by the South-East regional office of the Football Association of Finland. In addition to the men's and women's teams PEPO currently has 8 boys' teams and 3 girls' teams. Another important constituent is the close association with Lappee JK, a sister club that fields PEPO's reserve team in the Nelonen (Fourth Division) and an under-17 team. PEPO has received numerous recognitions including the Seal of the Young Finland Association for the quality of their youth work. The club has employed a full-time youth head coach since 2002 and a youth director since 2009. The club has extended its international links with cooperation ties with FC Utrecht, Fortuna Sittard and SO Soest. Competition PEPO's men's team are competing in Group C of the Kakkonen (Third Division) administered by the Football Association of Finland. This is the third highest tier in the Finnish football league system. In 2009 PEPO finished in first position in the South-East group of the Kolmonen (Fourth Division). PEPO's women's team are competing in Group A of the Kakkonen (Second Division) administered by the Football Association of Finland. Current squad References and sources Official Website Suomen Cup Footnotes Football clubs in Finland Lappeenranta 1958 establishments in Finland